by Sally Henson
He makes his way next to me. “It got be back here, didn’t it? You’re not half bad.”
“Thanks,” I say, shaking my head. People who know you never think you’re as great as the fans do. “I’m surprised to see you. Thanks for coming.”
“Yeah, man.” He thumbs behind him toward the door. “Do you mind if we step outside? It’s a little loud in here.”
It’s not that loud in this room, but I could use some fresh air. “Sure.” I call over to Mr. Steiger “I’m going to get some air.”
He nods and checks his phone. “Fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be back.” I lead Linc out of the room, and through the dark hallway. It does get loud out here, so I wait to say anything until we make it outside.
“Hey Deke, how’s it going?” Deke watches the door and the hall for the club. He was here last night too.
He nods. “Hey, man.”
“I’ll be back in.” I push open the door and step out, waiting for Linc to pass through.
Deke nods. “You know what to do.”
“Yeah.” I let the door close behind me and breathe in the salty night air. Linc’s already ten steps down the alleyway.
I jog to catch up with him. Electricity continues to flow through like a current from being on stage. “Did Regan tell you I was here?”
He turns back and gets in my face. “Is it true you don’t want Regan to go to Eckerd’s summer camp?”
I flinch and take a step backward. “What? Did she say that?” I’m in shock from his words—from her saying that to her brother.
He coughs out a bitter laugh. “Of course not. Regan’s so lost in you, she doesn’t even know up from down anymore. She doesn’t even know what’s good for her.”
I wipe the back of my hand against the sting on my jaw from his words. Okay, he’s starting out with a jab. I didn’t know this would be a boxing match. “Don’t even go there. I’ve been the one who picked up the pieces when things fell apart for her.”
Lincoln stares at me, waiting for my expression to falter. He knows something’s not right with his dad allowing me to see her while she was grounded. When he was home for Christmas, he questioned it, but I kept the secret to myself.
He turns toward the road ahead of us.
I relax from his attack I just went through. “It’s not a camp. You know that, right? It’s all summer. And if she went, she’d probably even miss the first few days of school next year.”
“Are you Lane Cary?” he asks without tossing as much as a glance in my direction.
Wait, what? I shift my weight from one foot to another and lean back against the stucco building. “Am I supposed to answer that?”
“Just making sure I’m talking to the right guy.” He turns to face me again.
Linc’s no longer taller than me, and though he’s in the military and probably knows some kind of martial arts—and yeah, we’re in a dark alley—I don’t think he’d try to beat the crap out of me.
“Do you two still call yourselves best friends or did that end when you started making out in parked cars out in the middle of nowhere?”
I bite my tongue and hold in telling him to screw off. “You make it sound like all I want is to get her in the backseat.”
“I didn’t know your truck had a backseat. I was thinking more like front seat, bed of your truck, your bed…” He stretches his arms wide. “Wherever.”
My fingernails graze over my skull, grasping a clump of hair. I give it a tug to make sure I’m not having another nightmare. “It’s not like that and you know it.” If anything, I’ve been the one to keep us from going that far. He should be thanking me.
“You already chose her friends. Are you picking out her clothes now? Tracking her every movement?” He steps back in my personal space. “Is that why you gave her that phone? Did you convince her to drop marine science too?”
I clench my teeth together. He talks like I’m trying to control her life. That’s what her dad’s trying to do. Not me.
He barks, “I’m waiting for an answer.”
Music filters out of the door of the club, along with a few people coming out to smoke.
My gaze falls back on my girlfriend’s brother. How does he even know about me not wanting her to go this summer? Regan wouldn’t have said anything to him about it. And it’s not like I’m the one who told her marine science wasn’t in her future.
I piece part of this puzzle together. “I’ve been trying to figure out who applied without her knowing about it. It was you, wasn’t it?”
“You know,” he starts, “I thought you might be good for Regan. I know my parents like you, but you’ve wedged yourself in between Regan and the rest of the world.” He lets out a growl. “I warned her about this.”
“I love her,” I growl back, pushing off of the building. “I’m here for her. I’ve been here for her since you left. Which is more than you can say. So don’t accuse me of things you know nothing about.” I take an uneven breath, doing my best to keep my cool.
“Yeah?” He tilts his head, folding his arms as he pierces me with those eyes that are so similar to Regan’s. “What are you doing in Florida, then? Rubbing salt in her wound? Eckerd College—marine science—is three hours from here.”
I swallow, feeling the accusation hovering over my chest. The guilt of my secret is tightening its noose. But I can’t let him know anything about it. I grit my teeth so hard, pain seers through my jaw.
“You’re not family,” Linc slams.
“That’s BS!” I explode. “She loves me, and that makes me family. So what if I don’t want her gone all summer? It’s not like your dad will ever let her go. Don’t even try hanging this on me.”
Lincoln takes in a long breath before he speaks. His voice is calmer this time around. “You’re right. You were there when I wasn’t. I screwed that up.” He presses his finger in the middle of my chest. “But you better get on board with this or you will lose her. Because she’s going this summer.”
Nothing like lacing an apology with a threat. Feels a lot like making that deal with his dad. Like father, like son in that department, I guess.
I lean against the pressure of his finger until he drops his hand. “I’m not one of your underlings. Your threats don’t mean much to me. And good luck convincing Tim marine science is a good idea.” I check my phone for the time and see a message from Ross.
Ross: We’re on.
I shove the phone back in my pocket. “Thanks for coming. Enjoy the rest of the show.” I stalk away and pound twice on the door.
Deke opens it, and I make my way through the halls. I suck in a breath to calm myself. But it doesn’t work. I step into the bathroom and throw the empty water bottle across the room. Freaking Lincoln.
Tim Stone will never allow Regan to go to Eckerd College for any reason. If he’s trying to change that fate, he needs to go pay his dad a visit. Not me.
I take a leak, wash my hands, and splash cold water on my face before I can look at myself in the mirror. Screw Linc for coming here during my gig and threatening me.
As soon as I step out of the bathroom, Mr. Steiger call for me. “Cary, get on stage.”
I nod and hustle past the green room to join my band mates. All I want to do right now is play my guitar anyway. Going out with the guys after we play tonight doesn’t sound so bad for once.
33
LANE
Even though I stayed out way too late with the guys last night, I got up and ran this morning, knowing it would pay off. We all came to the beach after a late breakfast. The water is a little cool, but after baking in the sun, it feels good. I wipe the saltwater from my face with my towel and lay it over the sand next to a sleeping Joe. If he’s not careful, he’ll end up looking like a lobster playing the drums tonight.
As hard as I try, I can’t shake Lincoln’s surprise visit last night. Why can’t he leave the camp thing alone? It’s not like he has the power to do anything about it.
I grab my pho
ne and see if I have any messages from my girlfriend. Nothing. So I check Cam’s posts for the millionth time since I left Illinois. It doesn’t matter when I look, there’s always a new photo of Regan on there. I can’t believe he took her to her first concert. That was supposed to be me. I’m the music guy. Her boyfriend. The guy she’s in love with.
Yeah, I’m the one who left, but I thought she would hang out with Tobi all week, not Cameron. My shoulders stiffen when I see the two of them smiling together. I shouldn’t let him get to me, but it’s times like this that make me wish I had let her stay over that night. She wanted to be closer and here I am, three thousand miles away.
A message notification from Regan pops up.
Regan: Hey. How are you?
I’d really like to unload on her about spending all her time with Cam and blame her for the crap her brother pulled.
Linc’s not the same guy I used to be friends with. Maybe I’m not the same either, but at least I’m not a bulldog, manipulating people to get what I want.
Crap. That is exactly what I’ve been doing to Regan the past few months. I hang my head and collapse on my beach towel. Waiting to tell her about the deal with her dad is making things worse. But I’m in so deep now, I don’t know what to say.
The sun beats down on my back while I try to figure out a way to break it to her. Before I know it, sweat beads on my skin and nothing has come to mind. At least nothing that will end well. Maybe I need to just focus on music while I’m here and put all this drama on the back burner to deal with when I get home. It’s not like it’s going away.
I’ll just tell her how busy I am. Better to keep it short than say anything I’ll regret.
Me: Hey. Good. Mr. West has us a lot busier than I thought we’d be. Sorry. Haven’t had much time to talk.
After I send the message, I hide the phone in my shoe and head into the water.
REGAN
“Have you heard from him?” Cam asks as we soak in the warmth of the afternoon sunshine.
It rained this morning, and now the fields are too wet to plant. So we did something really stupid…jumped off of the cliffs.
The stupid part? It’s the end of March, and the water is FREEZING cold.
After we finally climbed up the side, we dried the best we could and scurried to the truck bed to lay in the sun. The sides of the pick-up bed come up far enough to block the cool breeze. I finally stopped shivering, thanks to the sunrays. It feels so good on my skin.
“A text. Mr. West booked them for afternoon sessions.” Lane’s been too busy to answer my calls or reply to my messages the last couple of days. Even though I have cell signal all day long. I hold in a sigh and keep my eyes closed. The black color of Cam’s truck bed holds the warmth of the sun even though the March air is chilly. Not quite what I picture laying on the beach with Lane or my friends would be like. “Guess that means he’s busy.”
We lay there in the quiet. We don’t even have music playing. I try not to wonder what Lane’s doing or who he’s doing it with.
“Hey,” Cam says so softly, I’m not even sure it wasn’t me hearing things.
When he doesn’t say anything else, I turn my head toward him and peek one eye open.
His dark hair is a mess, sticking out on the top. The blue of his eyes is barely visible through his squinted eyes. He rolls to his side and pokes me in the arm with his finger. “Truth or dare?”
A giggle slips out of me because I didn’t expect that to roll off his tongue.
I scoff. “We’re not thirteen.”
He’s so relaxed and chill, his features are soft and boyish.
It makes my heart smile.
He shrugs at my comment— “So…,” then rolls to his back, closing his eyes. “You can go first.”
The bright sun is too much without my sunglasses. I close my eyes too and rest my arm over them. “You might be sorry,” I sing.
He chuckles, and I hear his camera shutter. I lift my arm and glance over to see him taking a picture of me. “I think I can handle your boring dares and questions,” he says. Cam tilts his head to mine and takes one of us together. “I’m sending this to Tobi.”
I hope he doesn’t choose dare because, well, it’s Cam. He does crazy, dumb things without a dare. “Truth or dare?” I ask.
He puts his phone down. “Truth. Only because the sun feels so good, I don’t want to get up. Oh, and whatever we say can’t be repeated to anyone. Ever. Agree?”
I giggle. Cam doesn’t usually get embarrassed about stuff, so I think maybe this could be fun after all. “Agree.” Besides, I don’t want anything I say to be repeated either. Ugh. Maybe I should do dares the whole time.
“Out of all the girls you’ve kissed, who is the best?”
He lets out a moan. “Sophi Rollins.”
I sit up and gasp. “The same Sophi that graduated with my brother?”
“Nope. One question at a time, Rey-Rey. My turn. Truth or dare?”
I roll my eyes at his name for me, but… “Seriously. You kissed her? She’s like out of college.”
“No, Steffi was in your brother’s class. Sophi graduated with your cousin, Susanna.” He wiggles his eyebrows and then ends his story. “If you want to ask me anything else, you’ll have to wait for me to choose truth again.”
I shake my head and lay back down. “Dang, Cam. I didn’t know you were into older girls.”
He chuckles and asks, “Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
He goes easy on me and dares me to take a silly picture with him. We continue the game for a while until it turns into nap time. I’m somewhere in between sleep and consciousness. I can smell a hint of his cologne or body soap or something mixed with the mud from scaling the wall of the cliff. Every four beats, I hear the squeak of the oil pump jack nearby.
“I have to confess something,” Cam says, startling me a bit. I thought he was asleep.
“What’s that?” I ask.
He clears his throat and says, “It’s me.”
I knit my brows together, trying to put together what he’s talking about. Maybe he talks in his sleep. I open one eye and peek over at him.
He rolls to his side and stares at me. “I’m the one who applied to the summer program for you. The one who sent in the acceptance papers.”
“What?” Heat shoots up the back of my neck. Both eyes widen. “Cam, why?”
“Sometimes…” He smiles this sweet smile that slows my reaction. “Sometimes you were so happy I kept all the papers. You should’ve seen your face when you read the acceptance letter.”
I swallow and look at a freckle on his arm, avoiding his gaze. “I can’t go, Cam. Okay? And you keep making it worse by doing stuff like this.”
He leans closer. “Your mom said you could go. There’s nothing stopping you, but you. You need to do this.”
“It’s not that easy. Everything in my life is being ripped apart because of this. The only time my parents talk anymore is to argue. Why do you think I’ve been avoiding home as much as possible this week? And Lane’s…” I don’t even know what’s going on with Lane right now. He doesn’t want me to go to Florida, but his silence is making me nervous that he might be slipping away. I need him. But I can’t mention any of this to Cam because it will only pour gasoline on the fire he’s building for me to go. “And I don’t have the money.”
He scoffs. “I knew Lane was behind this.”
I purse my lips and turn my face to the sky. I said too much.
“You can’t let him keep you from going. That’s got to be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done, Regan.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “You don’t have someone like Lane in your life. You just do whatever you want.”
“If having a person like that in my life that means I lose myself, become someone I’m not…forget it. I don’t need that.” He pokes me in the shoulder. “And neither do you. You’ve even been ignoring your brother’s calls and messages.”
I press my
fingertips to my temples. My pounding headache beats against my fingers like a base drum as I piece things together. “How do you know I’m not answering Linc’s calls?”
He touches my arm. “It’s not like—”
“You and Lincoln? I bet Miss Braun’s been in on this too.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe it.”
“You’ve wanted this for so long. And after you, uh, you know, went through that stuff after Thanksgiving, you just gave up.” He places his hand on my arm.
I want to shrug him off, be mad at him, but Cam’s been here all week. We’ve become closer friends, and he’s the only one who never stopped believing in me. “I don’t want to chase after what I can’t have, Cam. Can’t you understand that?”
He clasps his hand around mine. “I’m not your only friend who thinks this. Tobi knows too.”
I turn and blaze a glare at him. “So everyone’s going behind my back? You’re supposed to be my friends.”
“We are your friends. Lane should want this for you. All he’s doing is putting you in a cage.”
I shake my head, pulling my hand out of his grip. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He hisses. “I know exactly what he’s doing.”
“What about you getting a computer degree, huh?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “We’re not in the same situation.”
“You need to do this.” I use his own words to turn the tables on him.
He sighs and rolls to his back. “I can’t.”
My voice raises. “Well, I can’t either.”
Silence echoes between us. After a few deep breaths, I finally relax my clenched jaw.
“Look,” I say. “I won’t talk about you going to college if you stop bringing up Eckerd.”
He doesn’t answer.
I’m stuck in the middle of a tug-of-war. Mom, Lincoln, Cam, and Tobi on one side. Lane and Dad on the other. I wish I could just disappear.
